I've foraged and used several foods from the country side in the past, but never rose hips. With several huge plants of Rosa canina (Dog Rose) in the hedge behind the nursery, I thought I would try using them this year. Having found a recipe for rosehip jam I gathered a box full to take home. Picking them is a bit of a pricky task, and a lot of the time I trimmed off small branches laden with hips, this in turn gives the plant a bit of a prune too.
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| Rosehips ready for prepping |
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| Rosehips in the hedgerow |
Once home I removed the hips from the stalks, trimmed them and washed them. The next task was de-seeding them, a task I wasn't prepared for! Firstly I never realised the seeds were so big in such small hips and secondly how tedious a task it was going to be. It may be the first and last time we make anything from rosehips! David very gallantly offered to help and regretted it in minutes. Still we got the de-seeding done and it was time to cook them.
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| Trimmed and ready for de-seeding |
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| Rosehips ready to be cooked |
To make approximatly 750g of jam you need
650g of rosehips
250ml water
sugar
Chop up the rose hips and place in a pan with the water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 25 mins to soften the fruit. Add more water if it dries out. Once the fruit is very soft weigh the pulp and place back in the pan. Add the same weight of sugar to the fruit and cook over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the temperature and simmer until the mixture has set. Pour into sterilised jars and seal.
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| Cooking the fruit to soften it |
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| Ready for eating |
Other hedgerow Bounty blogs you might like:
Hedgerow Bounty Part One - Sloe-ly does it
Hedgerow Bounty Part Two - Abundant Brambles
Hedgerow Bounty Part Three - Awash with Elderflower Champagne
It's that Bramble Time of year again
Hedgerow Bouny - Sloe gin
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